Women's Polo Gains Experience at Claremont Convergence

CLAREMONT, Calif. (Mar. 3, 2018) – The Caltech women's water polo team played four times against a variety of different teams at this weekend's Claremont Convergence tournament.

Friday: Mckendree 23, Caltech 6

The Beavers opened the tournament with a game in which they managed to score in every period. Junior Gemma Takahashi (San Jose, Calif. / Leland) made her debut on the heels a SCIAC Championship swim & dive season and got involved early, scoring the team's second goal of the game before finsihing with two goals, two shots and two steals. Junior Katie Johnston (Livermore, Calif. / Livermore) led the Beavers offense with three points: two goals and one assist. Junior Hana Keller (Sammamish, Wash. / Tesla STEM) and sophomore Mackenzie Wooten (Las Vegas, Nev. / Northwest Career and Technical Academy) also scored goals for Caltech, their first goals of the season. Four of the Beavers' goals came in the first half.

Friday: St. Francis (N.Y.) 16, Caltech 3

Johnston once again led the Beavers offense, this time with two goals while once again generating an additional six shots. Sophomore Samantha D'Costa (San Jose, Calif. / St. Francis) also scored her first goal of the season, which came in the second period for the Beavers' first goal of the day. Goalkeepers sophomore Sarah Kreider (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest) and freshman Elaine Lowinger (North Miami, Fl. / Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) split time in the net and each made three saves, logging 16 minutes apiece.

Saturday: Fresno Pacific 18, Caltech 5

Takahashi and Johnston factored heavily into Caltech's third game at the convergence, albeit in different ways. While Johnston scored all five of the Beavers' goals between the final three quarters, Takahashi went 3-for-4 on sprints, taking the last three for Caltech while also leading the team with four steals. Johnston, to her credit had three steals and all of her goals went unassisted. She also fired an additional eight shots at the Beavers' Division I opponent and four of her goals came in the second half.

Saturday: St. Francis (PA) 12, Caltech 2

Johnston made a big play on the Beavers' powerplay in the second period, extending a five-game scoring streak spanning the length of the convergence in addition to Caltech's season opener at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Sophomore Wooten, who joined Johnston on the scoresheet in the tournament's first game accomplished the same feat in the fourth and final game of the weekend. The Beavers fired an additional 14 shots at their opponents, but also drew 11 powerplay opportunities, a new high on the season.

Head Coach Jon Bonafede and the Beavers will open at home on Tuesday, Mar. 4 against Penn State University-Behrend and will be looking for their first win of the year.